2009 hasn’t been the kindest of years to FederalWayan.

One upshot was the passage of Proposition 1, the bitterly contested power-struggle between the entrenched, corporatist city council and a new paradigm of strong leadership. We have yet another year, however, to wait for that to come to fruition. The City Council is not interested in using the people’s money to reduce their own power by spending it on something that 52% of the people want. Curious, too, is the council’s camp’s insistence that they canceled a search for a new city manager because the switch to a new form of government would obviate the need for one, despite their insistence during the campaign that one would still be necessary even with a strong mayor, and even more confusing in light of the year they have now added to that transition.

One big downshot in our opinion is the city’s impending loss of Metropolitan Market, which will close their doors for the last time on January 6. The store has been named Federal Way’s Best Grocery Store by the Mirror’s polls for five years in a row, which is also the entire time the Dash Point branch has been open. Apparently, being Federal Way’s best is not good enough for Metropolitan, which has been packed on a daily basis ever since the word of its closure went out. Given that the city government and business community has said or done nothing about this, perhaps they are right. Locals fear that the Metro location will be snatched up by a jilted LA Fitness which was denied permission to open in Twin Lakes by the city government, who apparently thinks that it’s better to have a huge vacant building than a new business — as evidenced by the growing number of large vacant buildings in town. For FederalWayan’s part, we’ll be writing to the regional manager of Whole Foods telling them about a great newly available location with an existing customer base.

The esteemed city government also denied Federal Way commuters and visitors a better driving experience in and out of Federal Way from the interstate when it killed the City Center Access Project, deciding that it’s best to kowtow to two tiny neighborhoods rather than work towards the benefit of the city at large. Lakewood, population 58,000, has 6 exits on I-5; Federal Way, population 89,000, has half that. The preferred solution for the City Council is to tear up the downtown sidewalks to expand busy 320th; yet another example of the failed, nice-to-look-at-but-wouldn’t-want-to-live 50s-era suburban folly which guides every decision of the city government.

A confusing series of events occurred in the realm of the city municipal court this past election. Embattled presiding judge Michael Morgan lost his position to Rebecca Walls, who overcame a serious lack of experience by challenging Morgan’s unpopular management style. But Walls won’t be taking over the reins — that will go to former school board president Dave Larson, who had dismissed the attacks on Morgan when they were first challenged and continued to support his fellow judge all along. Those who voted to clear out the Morgan administration by replacing him with Walls will likely end up not getting what they expected.

In February the Regional Library closed for remodeling, cutting off the city’s largest public research and study center in an age when libraries are falling out of fashion via competition from a growing wealth of easily available online material. The KCLS placed a small library in the Commons Mall, adding a small spot of quiet and studiousness to one of the city’s biggest youth attractions. FederalWayan’s only complaint about this location is the word “Temporary” on it’s signage. We think the Commons Library location should join similar locations at Southcenter and Crossroads and become a permanent LibraryConnection location.

The recent month’s distraction from the city’s ills, post-election, has been the much ado about nothing regarding the Twin Lakes Country Club. Few Federal Wayans have likely ever set foot on Twin Lakes’ property, outside of perhaps a wedding reception or office party; but the fear of losing the elite status symbol has sent the Twin Lakes neighborhood, as well as the Mirror, into a frantic tizzy — which fizzled predictably when the big meeting to Do Something About It failed to attract a sufficient number of actually concerned residents.

On the topic of local politics, both local political parties showed themselves to be out of touch with the city’s residents when they both chose to oppose Proposition 1. Whether this was the result of the influence that the backwards-looking city boosters has on these groups, or whether it was the work of a well orchestrated and ferocious pro-council coffee klatch, the upswing is that both parties ended up on the side of the minority of Federal Way’s voters.

In 2010, we look forward to RapidRide Line A, which will run from Federal Way to Tukwila to link our city up to the Central Link Light Rail line. We look forward, hopefully, to the beginning of construction at Symphony. We look forward to the opening of a presumably improved Regional Library. But most importantly, we look forward to a popularly elected strong mayor who will provide a coherent face, voice, and vision for Federal Way, and an end to the lagging, stagnant, living-in-the-past city government our city has endured for far too long.

If I asked you what is the most important issue facing Federal Way, what would you say?

If you work for city government, your answer is probably “code compliance”. Signs are too big, woodworkers are too loud, real estate ads are in the wrong place.

Yes, in the lovely fantasy world of city government, Federal Way is a virtual utopia, whose worst problems are signs, scribbles, and saws. A big happy community of upper-middle class Christian homeowners.

Well, that’s not the Federal Way I read about in the papers. Federal Way is a city where in the past year two people have been shot to death in public places before a dozen witnesses. Where teaching established science in schools is threatened by anti-science crusaders. Where major downtown construction has been put on hold for who knows how long. Where dozens of retail spots have lain empty for years. Where we are about to lose 1,000 good non-retail jobs at a major local employer.

What is the city focusing its efforts on?

Cutting down 45-year-old neighborhood signs, because they are too tall. Shutting down home-based, charity-donating craftsmen because they are too loud. Kicking homeless people off street corners because they are too uncomfortable to look at.

Someday, perhaps, we can replace our head-in-the-clouds city government with one that is aware of Federal Way’s real problems, focus city resources towards solving those real problems, and react effectively and quickly to the needs of a growing urban environment. Unfortunately, our city government and laws are not structured or designed to allow that change to happen any time soon. Perhaps the best we can hope for is that our city leaders will wake up and see the city for what it is: a dual-metro satellite city with real urban problems that will only get worse the longer they are ignored; the longer we waste our effort on eradicating minor inconveniences like neighborhood history and identity, instead of fighting the real threats to the city’s viability like violent crime, low quality jobs, troubled schools, and a complete lack of cohesive community. The answer is not to take a saw to old landmarks, or to ban modern science, or to criminalize poverty.

Can our city government spend its resources reasonably? Can it open its eyes and see the real Federal Way of 2008? Can we change it to do so if it won’t?

As everyone’s well aware, the Symphony project, which I drive past every morning, is on hold for up to a year.

Yeah, sure.

We’ve heard this one before, Federal Way. How long did it take for Federal Way to get a long-awaited modern movie theater? The original plan for the Century was to be done by Fall 2004. For the record, it opened July 2007. Construction didn’t even start until early 2007 if memory serves.

Ironically, the Symphony is on the site of the theater whose closure left the gap that Century filled. And it fills it adequately (well, now that it’s gotten the kinks worked out; they seem to play the right movies in the right theater and completely right-side up and forwards these days). But it sure took its time in doing so (the AMC 6 closed in 2002).

At least other city projects have been on time — the Community Center opened in March 2007, roughly on schedule — but it’s apparently not able to stay in the black. Oh, and its construction ran 27% over budget.

Engineers of all stripes know of the Designer’s Holy Triangle, which goes “Good, Fast, or Cheap.” In Federal Way, that seems to be “Remotely On Time, Remotely On Budget, or Not Completely Falling Apart”. At least we’ve been mostly on track for the latter — so far.

As for what to do about Symphony, and United Properties’ falling through, does the City really think that this is the last word? Come a year from now, will we see UP come back and ask for yet another year? With construction projects “on hold” all over the country, and even on the decline in the supposedly resilient Northwest, can we really count on them to come through on a second chance? And can the growth of our city wait that long?

I hope the Council is considering other options, instead of just rolling over for UP’s extension request.

(PS: Does anyone know what the Council’s decision is? The minutes for the July 15 Council meeting, where the request was to be considered, are still not posted.)

A couple things struck me about the rather presumptuous, self-aggrandizing press release from Federal Way Stagnates in this week’s News. (Yes, that’s me in the comments.)

First, I managed to get Ron Gintz’s name wrong in this post.

Second, there are an awful lot of people on that list that have obvious close ties to the Council — the same Council that would lose the most from a strong mayor — ranging from former Council members and at least one identifiable spouse of a council member.

Third, that Ron Gintz’s name is on the list at all. When it occurred to me that I need to go back to the Council’s archives and double check the name, I also dialed up the minutes from December 21 1993, when outgoing Deputy Mayor Joel Marks proposed a ballot measure for an elected mayor. The motion got two council votes: one from Joel Marks, and one from Ron Gintz.

And I’m curious as to why a strong mayor for Federal Way made more sense to Ron in 1993 than it does in 2008.

As for FWW, I doubt that their high-profile politicking defeated the measure. I chalk it up to the old-school Federal Way mindset that resists growth and change — after all, that’s why the city was first created, right? — and an off-season election date, and on the same ballot as a primary vote that just over half of people knew was (officially) meaningless. FWW (and ACT) needs to acknowledge that 45%, especially under those circumstances, is nothing to sneeze at.

This information is a little harder to get than one might expect. The city’s website doesn’t showcase former mayors or even councilpeople. I suppose that should not come as a surprise in the city that the Mirror once complained had no clear leaders.

Here is the list of past mayors and deputy mayors of Federal Way.

• 1989: Debbie Ertel and Mary Gates
• 1992: Bob Stead and Joel Marks
• 1994: Mary Gates and Phil Watkins
• 1996: Skip Priest and Hope Elder
• 1998: Ron Gintz and Michael Park
• 2000: Michael Park and Linda Kochmar
• 2002: Jeanne Burbidge and Dean McColgan
• 2004: Dean McColgan and Linda Kochmar
• 2006: Michael Park and Jim Ferrell
• 2008: Jack Dovey and Eric Faison

Fun Fact: All but three elections for either mayor or deputy mayor were unanimous: Mayor and deputy mayor in 1989, and mayor in 2002. All but two were uncontested (2002 mayor was uncontested but not unanimous).

While we’re at it, here’s a rough rundown of who has been city manager and deputy/assistant city manager (when there has been one):

• 1989: Al Locke
• 1990: J. Brent McFall
• 1994: Kenneth Nyberg
• 1996: (Deputy) Philip Keightley
• 2000: David Moseley
• 2005: (Deputy) Derek Matheson
• 2007: Neal Beets

Fun Fact: The longest-serving member of the city council in history was Mary Gates (1989-2003 inclusive). The current longest-serving member is Michael Park, counting time spent in office. The current member with the earliest appearance on the council is Jack Dovey, who joined the council in 1995 but did not serve from 2000-2002 inclusive.

Another Fun Dovey Fact: Of the three times the Council has had to make a mid-term appointment to replace a councilmember, twice they selected Jack Dovey, in 1995 and 2003. The other time was Eric Faison in 2001.

Fun Elected Mayor Fact: Outgoing councilmember and Deputy Mayor Joel Marks introduced a council proposal to make the mayor a publicly elected position in December 1993.

A Random Fun Fact Of Which The Significance Is Really Unclear To Me: Federal Way’s City Fathers (do we have Mothers too?) include a man named Ross Hennings.

And A Final Random Fun Fact: The Council was advised against commissioning a city logo in 1990 because of “the possible name change of the city”. Sometimes I wonder, “what if….” (Actually, it’s usually more like “if only….”)

All info compiled from a rather-non-exhaustive online search of city council minutes.

Early returns show the strong mayor proposal is coming out behind the status quo — but by a much closer margin than some predictions would have led you to expect.

I didn’t see any of the usual Vote Yes To Elect Our Mayor signs on the way to work today. But I did see some new additions: Vote No To Keep Our Council/Manager signs. Nice work, guys. Is this why Federal Way Works — because the entrenched status quo tilts the field against change?

In other news, the Council backpedaled on its anti-homeless proposal to make it illegal for poor people to try and get money. The only councilmember that didn’t vote to postpone the vote while softer options are considered was unelected-Mayor Dovey, who is all for getting the ugly homeless scum off our streets so obscure-niche small businesses like his can exist in a nice-looking city, ASAP. (Dovey backed the unpopular Celebration Park. Maybe his next public works project will be a nice run-down poorhouse in North Lake.)

Note to the City Council and our unelected Mayor: No one wants to be poor. No one wants to be homeless. No one wants to be unemployed. No one wants to live in a tent. No one wants to spend all day outside in the cold, wet Seattle winter just to make a few bucks with which to buy something for themselves and their families to eat and drink to get through the day.

The Council clearly doesn’t know any of this, because it has already signaled it is prepared to make things even harder for those fallen on hard times, by making it illegal for the poor to solicit cars for money.

Another note to the Council: We do not live in a walkable city. The sidewalks of Federal Way aren’t full of shoppers and sightseers and people out for a walk. Panhandlers can’t stand in front of stores because those places are private property (again, not a walkable city; the majority of the stores are behind private parking lots, not sidewalks). They can’t expect money from pedestrians, because there aren’t hardly any (shall I repeat about the “not a walkable city” again?).

Taking vehicles out of the panhandling market is to decimate the amount a beggar can hope to get. Who will this serve? Not the poor beggars who stand out in the elements in discarded secondhand jackets hoping to get a cup full of change by the end of a day’s effort. No, but perhaps it will serve the demands of those individuals who spread shamefully over-dramatized stories of mean, scary poor people dangerously menacing them in their SUVs at a minute’s wait at a stoplight.

The argument of this ordinance’s proponents is that approaching vehicles for the measly pocket change that makes up a beggar’s income is dangerous and causes accidents. Do they provide any proof? Even anecdotal cases of accidents caused by begging? Can indifferent, superior-feeling people really get laws passed in Federal Way with nothing more than empty straw men?

Will the Council ever learn a new way to deal with the problems of city growth? Or will it always be the same old simple, short-sighted, irresponsible stratagem of trying to make problems disappear instead of solving them? Does the council have a plan to fill the hole that their amendment will leave in the pockets and lives of the people who are reduced to asking for handouts, and the people they support? What plan to they have to undo the damage this amendment will cause?

None. That’s not in the plan. The poor and homeless are clearly not the part of the city’s community that the majority of the Council cares about serving.

Talk about having a point proved for you. If anyone needs a reason why we need an elected mayor, look no further than the very first day of the city council’s new session. From the Mirror:

The move to appoint Dovey as mayor was proposed by city council member Linda Kochmar, seconded by Park and unanimously approved by the council. Kochmar nominated Dovey because of his seniority on the city council and his awareness of the business community, she said.

Jack Dovey is FW’s new mayor, and you and I had nothing to do with it. Nor did anything Jack Dovey has done — except repeatedly get reelected to the council. Kochmar admits her reason was, at least in part, based on seniority; not on skill, leadership, or any other attribute. And the rest of the council cheerily agreed. The club just simply decided that it was Jack’s turn to be in the big chair.

One wonders what the result would be if you put a poll to the people of Federal Way and asked them which city council member they would prefer as their city’s mayor. I don’t think it would be Dovey. But the people of Federal Way don’t get to decide. The city’s booster club does.

The city is proposing to buy a 23-acre plot of woodland on Puget Sound from the Tacoma Boy Scouts. The lot is named Camp Kilworth, which was donated to the BSA in the 1930s with the express requirement that the land be used for the aims of Scouting. The Scouts want to sell the land, which they underuse, and use the proceeds to build amenities (such as a new pool and dining hall) at their other camps in Pierce County. Unfortunately, the trustees, a couple of banks and others to whom the land will revert if the deed’s terms are broken, say that plan is no good.

Pending the outcome of the current three-way legal wranglings, the City and Scouts had arranged a deal where the City would get the land as a public park, and the Scouts would get $3 million — and 40 rent-free days of use each year.

This isn’t going to endear me to many in quiet Federal Way, but I say no way. An organization like the Boy Scouts, which discriminates in its membership in two ways that fly in the face of state discrimination principles, shouldn’t get free use of a public park. They should pay any applicable rent or usage fees just like anyone else. I don’t understand why free use was part of the deal; I presume it got the Scouts to lower their asking price down to $3M even. But I don’t care.

I’m not suggesting that the Boy Scouts be banned or that they be denied access to the park. They’re a private organization and it seems they are permitted to discriminate however they want (I guess as long as that discrimination is popularly practiced). I’m saying though, that if they are going to reserve all or portions of a city-owned public park and its buildings for exclusive use for periods at a time, they shouldn’t get a special 100% discount, unless the city is willing to offer such a discount to anyone else who wants it. For what it’s worth, special treatment on the use of public lands by the Scouts has been successfully challenged elsewhere on these same grounds.

Now, the agreement also says the Scouts will “adopt” the park in that they will help clean it up, etc. That would be an okay trade, I think, as work-in-kind for the 40 days of free use the Scouts would get. But the agreement should make it explicit that this is the tradeoff, and that if the Scouts rescind or fail to uphold that condition, then they don’t get free rent. And the city would also have to be willing to offer the exact same deal — park cleanup for free exclusive/overnight park usage — equally to other groups.

I know lots of people probably believe that the BSA is one of the nation’s greatest youth organizations, and I was a Cub Scout myself, but I don’t think you can make a convincing argument that being the nation’s greatest youth organization grants you both freedom to discriminate and special treatment on the use of public land.